Rethinking water consumption- Ventura County Reporter -

The state’s drought condition is labeled as severe, according to the California Department of Water Resources Web site. From San Francisco to San Diego, local newspapers have been publishing one article after another on the state’s growing water problem. On television, there have been numerous water conservation commercials appealing to the public to rethink water usage. In fact, one commercial shows a man making phone calls, shaving his face and doing a variety of other activities in the shower. The point — turn off the water when you aren’t using it!

After seeing the commercial of the man in the shower, I felt obligated to ask a friend how much time he spent in the shower. He said that he had a full routine and that, until there was a drought emergency, he wasn’t going to change his habits.

Speaking to a colleague, I was informed about a man who routinely waters a small patch of grass until the point it begins to flood onto the street.

There is an old adage that says, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.”

Americans are spoiled. We read about drought issues, and then disregard conservation requests. We continue our routine as if the rules don’t apply to us. But just as we have seen the state budget dry up, the same will happen with our water supply if we don’t start making changes now.

Fortunately for this current situation, the changes don’t have to be drastic. Instead of a grassy lawn that needs thousands of gallons of water a year to stay green, we could plant native flora — California, in its natural setting, has always been a rather dry state. Instead of a 20 minute shower, stop up the bathtub or sink while you shave and turn off the water. Instead of washing the car every week, cut back to once a month and drive a dirty car with pride — after all, this is for the well being of the environment and you are just doing your part.

Many of us, we have already made these changes. We pride ourselves on less is more — we have dirty cars, take shorter showers and have a drought tolerant gardens. So what else can we do?

Think ‘gray water.’

While it is prohibited to recycle water used in routine household activities in California unless a rather pricey system is installed ($5,000 in most cases), many homeowners have taken it upon themselves to create a makeshift system that carries bathwater, dishwater and water from the washing machine to their lawns and gardens. While we don’t advocate doing things illegally, the fact of the matter is that a growing number of homeowners have begun to see a drastic savings. For one Southern California resident, she has seen a savings of 100 gallons of water per week.

Arizona has set the national precedent for allowing homeowners to recycle their water with permit free systems. The only regulations — follow a set of guidelines to ensure safety and no cross contamination.

Although the future of cheap permitted gray water systems in the state of California appears to be a way’s away, for those who understand the importance of conservation and our severe drought situation, gray water is the future. We need to take it upon ourselves to start advocating for new ways to save our most precious natural resource.

For more information on gray water, go to www.graywater.org or www.npr.org, and search for ‘gray water.

via vcreporter.com